The object of the invention is to provide a means for visually impaired people to navigate through a complex environment using auditory cues. The invention uses computer telephony, and it incorporates a network of wireless environmental audio beacons that can be triggered by users wishing to travel to selected destinations. The invention also is useful for sighted people who are in environments where visual cues are difficult to obtain or where their visual acuity is constrained. In one embodiment, an installation of the invention is made in a museum to provide auditory navigation of an exhibit for blind or visually impaired attendees. The navigation system also incorporates customized audio descriptions as well as interactivity with the system through a portable transceiver, for example, a cellular telephone handset keypad, earphone and microphone as the user interface.
Introduction
Often visually impaired people are required to navigate physical spaces where typical navigation techniques, for example, the use of canes and memory, are inadequate. In addition, people with sight are often placed in environments where they either cannot see or their vision is impaired, but must nonetheless navigate through the physical space. The invention is directed toward a system that uses audio beacons to provide auditory cues to the person navigating the environment. The system uses a network of audio beacons that are triggered by means of electronic devices held by the user. In one application, the invention is embodied in an electronic system that makes physical spaces, like museums, more accessible to visitors who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled. In that embodiment, visitors navigate the exhibit space using their cell phones in order to interact with the system, independently choosing which exhibit components to move to and when they reach a destination, listening to audio descriptions of the relevant exhibit content, and triggering local events within the exhibit. Other applications are contemplated, including use of triggered auditory cues to indicate routes through physical spaces where there is no lighting or vision is otherwise impaired. Further, the sound of the auditory cues can be selected by the user. Advanced interactivity is also possible, whereby the location of a person is automatically detected and the auditory cues or other auditory stimulus automatically triggered.